17th Century Watercolor On Velumn Portrait Of John Hunt (d.1625), Attributed To John Hoskins

Portrait of John Hunt (died in 1625), bust, wearing armor Watercolor on vellum Inscribed, COGITA MORI / ANNO 1625 Inscribed on the reverse: Fui, non sum/es, quod non eris. / + dixit. John Hunt. + / […] / pray for his soul / + […] hello; roughly translated as “As you are, So I once was, As I am, So you will be”. Circular, 6 cm in diameter. Framed: 11 cm This evocative image of the Hampshire gentleman John Hunt, dressed in knightly armor, is attributed to the English miniaturist John Hoskins. Completed around 1625, the text on the recto and a 17th-century inscription on the reverse suggest that it was completed upon the sitter's death that same year. The presence of this date makes it a miniature portrait made during the first decade of Hoskins' career. The gold background here, unlike the bright blue often found in portrait miniatures of the 16th and 17th centuries, is incredibly rare for Hoskins. However, there is no denying that this particular example is very characteristic of the artist, showing the influence of Hilliard and Oliver before Van Dyck's leap forward found in Hoskins' miniatures of the following decade. A 17th century inscription on the reverse of the portrait explains that it represents a Jn Hunt. The motto on the front, "Cogito Mori" ("Think of Death"), and the year 1625 pointing to the portrait were completed upon the sitter's death. Research has revealed that the portrait probably depicts John Hunt of Popham (d. 1625), a member of the gentry who is said to have purchased the old Hampshire manor of Clere Woodcott (formerly Clere) from Sir Humphrey Forster, 1st Bt. (c. 1595-1663) in 1620.1 Given the close royalist connections of the Forster family, both in Berkshire and Hampshire, it is likely that Hunt shared these views vehemently. Hunt is said to have married Amy Figher and their son James continued to own the manor until it passed to the Bowen family in 1715. The blackened plate armor on display here, with particularly curved blades on the powders, evokes Dutch armor from the beginning of the 17th century. This type of heavy armor suitable for multiple uses, including cavalry, was among the last worn during this century, before plate armor eventually receded in favor of simple breastplates rather than buff leather jackets . The added details of a gilt chain, brightly polished brass rivets, as well as a red cusped lining beneath the powders, add greatly to the decorative appeal of this Early Late Jacobean Carolingian image.